Page 54 of Power of Shadow

“I don’t want to kill you, Norman. I’m thirsty for blood, but I don’t want to kill you. Tell me what you know. Where were you flying that plane to?”

Without further struggle, he confesses, “We were flying to Spain. Your father never found out about it, but thanks to my connections, I was able to place my mother in the house where Aisling was being held. At first, she was a cook, but she quickly became Aisling’s nanny as well. She took great care of her and tried to give her at least a semblance of family warmth. You have my word that she never harmed her. She raised her like her own daughter.”

If that’s true, I’m willing to thank them for everything they did for her. But if he’s lying, there will be no mercy.

“Is she still there?” I ask. “In Spain?”

Norman looks down and shakes his head.

A chill runs through me.

This isn’t the answer I want to hear. Holding my breath for a moment, I cling to a glimmer of hope, but when I exhale... the hope is gone too.

“What the fuck do you mean?” I growl, trying to control my hands, which are shaking now.

“Three years ago, Aisling ran away from that house. Right after my mother died. I’ll be honest with you, Ryker. I don’t know if she was afraid to stay there alone with no support, or if it was for some other reason. But she ran away and since then, the house has been empty. When they were both there twenty-four hours a day, nearly a dozen people monitored the house. And then one day, they all disappeared.”

“Where did you get that information?”

“Because shortly before her death, my mother got one of my friends a job there. He was there for maybe a month. He disappeared like everyone else. Just like that.”

The fear of what might have happened to my sister, what else she might have experienced, chills my blood. Maybe she’s still in our father’s hands, or maybe she’s hiding somewhere. She’s a grown woman now, and I hope she can take care of herself.

Fear cannot suppress my anger. A strange sound comes out of my throat as I hit Norman again.

“This is for not keeping my sister safe,” I hiss as he sobs. “But I also owe you my thanks, as I can no longer thank your mother for taking her under her wing.”

I switch the scissors to my other hand, walk around Norman, and grab his little finger. The quiet sound of the scissors echoes as I press the button on the device. Impressed by how easily the device cuts through human flesh and bone, I pause.

Right after that, Norman’s screams and whimpers fill the air. The basement is soundproof, so he can scream as much as he wants. Only the rats can hear him here.

“You see, Norman...” Almost in a daze, I put the scissors to his other little finger.

“Please, don’t do it...”

“I owe you my sister’s life. That’s why I won’t kill you, but there are other scores we need to settle.”

Once again, I press that magic button, and then the music of screams and sobs resounds.

At midnight I’m once again in the club.

From the private elevator, I go straight to my private penthouse, avoiding the eyes of random people. I could walk through the middle of the place covered in blood and no one would dare say a word to me, but we live in shitty times, and I don’t want my father to hear a word about it.

The less attention I draw to myself, the better.

First, I go to the bathroom. I rarely use it, but sometimes it’s necessary.

In the mirror, I see my blood-stained shirt. A few drops are also drying on my neck and face. Taking off all my clothes I jump into the shower without waiting for the water to warm up.

I close my eyes and stand under the cold stream, welcoming the relief it offers.

Today I made progress, though it doesn’t feel that way. I learned crucial details about Aisling, yet this mystery remains unsolved.

Where the hell are you?

If she could, she would contact me. She would give me a sign that she was alive, that she was okay. That's what I used to think. Now, however, I have my doubts.

What if she blames me for all this too? What if she’s afraid of me now? What if she thought I wanted to hurt her too, and that’s why she didn’t try to find me for three years? What if she hates me?